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Simon & Schuster and New York City Public Libraries Partner for EBook Pilot ProgramBaker & Taylor( 04/15/2013 )

Simon & Schuster and New York City Public Libraries Partner for EBook Pilot ProgramPublisher to Make Complete List of Titles Eligible for Libraries' Digital CollectionsInnovative Business Model Offers Patrons Option to Directly Purchase eBooks and Support their Local Library

NEW YORK, April 15,Simon & Schuster, together with The New York Public Library, Brooklyn Public Library, and the Queens Library, announced today a one-year pilot program under which the publishing company's complete catalog of ebooks will be made available to the libraries. Beginning April 30th, The New York Public Library and Brooklyn Public Library will have access to such beloved classic favorites and current bestsellers as The Great Gatsby, Lonesome Dove, Team of Rivals, Steve Jobs, The Glass Castle, Still Alice, The Road Less Traveled, The Coldest Winter Ever, Clockwork Princess, Misty of Chincoteague and From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler. The Queens Library pilot expected to begin in mid-May.

The participating libraries can acquire any Simon & Schuster ebook title at any time during the pilot's one-year term, with each title usable for one year from the date of purchase. Each library can offer an unlimited number of checkouts during the one-year term for which it has purchased a copy; each copy may only be checked out by one user at a time. All of Simon & Schuster's frontlist and backlist titles that are available as ebooks are eligible for the program, with new titles being made available simultaneous with their publication.

As part of this pilot, The New York Public Library, Brooklyn Public Library, and Queens Library are offering patrons the option to purchase a copy of Simon & Schuster eBooks from within the libraries' online portals. Since the libraries will receive a share of the proceeds from each sale, this new service offers patrons the opportunity to support their local library, particularly for popular new titles with long waiting lists.

If successful, the program could be implemented with other library systems across the United States.

"We have always recognized the important place of libraries in our communities. They play a vital role in fostering and encouraging reading in every strata of our society, and they help to create an audience for our books and authors," said Carolyn Reidy, President and Chief Executive Officer of Simon & Schuster. "We are delighted to partner with these libraries, which have shown an extraordinary willingness to try innovative models with the potential to be a long-term solution for all involved. In making our full list available we think we will get a better sense of lending patterns and patron behavior, and I am particularly eager to start seeing the actual data so that we can better understand this still-new phenomenon."

"This is a path breaking step that will ensure that as ebook readership grows our
citizens can enjoy access to books akin to what the library has always provided," says
New York Public Library President Tony Marx. "Publishers win by growing their audience
and readers win with more ebooks to borrow."

"Our fundamental mission as a public library is expanding access to knowledge.
Our new partnership with Simon & Schuster will help us accomplish just that by
dramatically increasing the number of ebooks we offer. We are thrilled to be working with
one of the largest and most well-regarded publishers, and look forward to making
available ebooks from all of their imprints to the many Brooklynites who wish to read
them," said Linda E. Johnson, President and CEO of Brooklyn Public Library.

"As our users increasingly turn to digital media, public libraries need to be poised
and ready to serve their needs with a range of digital materials including ebooks and
loanable e-readers," said Queens Library President and CEO Thomas W. Galante. "This
bold new program is an important step in the right direction. It not only gives our
customers access to some of the hottest titles; it also offers an innovation to allow
patrons to purchase titles and support the library at the same time. It's a win for
everyone."

For The New York Public Library and Brooklyn Library, 3M will support the
lending of Simon & Schuster titles and BiblioCommons will power the purchase
experience. Baker & Taylor will support both the lending and the purchase experience for
Queens Library.

ABOUT SIMON & SCHUSTER

Simon & Schuster, a part of CBS Corporation, is a global leader in the field of general
interest publishing, dedicated to providing the best in fiction and nonfiction for consumers of
all ages, across all printed, electronic, and audio formats. Its divisions include Simon &
Schuster Adult Publishing, Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing, Simon & Schuster
Audio, Simon & Schuster Digital, and international companies in Australia, Canada, India
and the United Kingdom. For more information, visit our website at
www.simonandschuster.com

ABOUT THE NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY

The New York Public Library is a free provider of education and information for the
people of New York and beyond. With 91 locations?including research and branch
libraries?throughout the Bronx, Manhattan, and Staten Island, the Library offers free
materials, computer access, classes, exhibitions, programming and more to everyone
from toddlers to scholars, and has seen record numbers of attendance and circulation in
recent years. The New York Public Library serves more than 18 million patrons who
come through its doors annually and millions more around the globe who use its
resources at www.nypl.org. To offer this wide array of free programming, The New York
Public Library relies on both public and private funding. Learn more about how to support
the Library at nypl.org/support.

ABOUT BROOKLYN PUBLIC LIBRARY:

Brooklyn Public Library (BPL) is an independent library system for the 2.5 million
residents of Brooklyn. It is the fifth largest library system in the United States with 60
neighborhood libraries located throughout the borough. BPL offers free programs and
services for all ages and stages of life, including a large selection of books in more than
30 languages, author talks, literacy programs and public computers. BPL's eResources,
such as eBooks and eVideos, catalog information and free homework help, are available
to customers of all ages 24 hours a day at our website: www.bklynpubliclibrary.org.

ABOUT QUEENS LIBRARY

Queens Library is an independent, not-for-profit corporation and is not affiliated with any
other library. Queens Library serves a population of 2.3 million in one of the most
ethnically diverse counties in the U.S. and has among the highest circulations of any
public library system in the world. For more information about programs, services,
locations, events and news, visit the Queens Library web site
at www.queenslibrary.org or phone 718-990-0700.